Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 3
 

Rama and Lakshmana enter into a dialogue with Viradha, the demon and shower arrows on him. Later, Viradha, the demon carries Rama and Lakshmana away from Seetha.

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Then in his turn that demon Viradha said this sentence filling the forest with his gruesome voice, "I am asking you, really... tell me who you are and whereto you wish to go?"

Then that highly resplendent Rama said about his Ikshvaku dynasty to the blazing faced demon who is insistent. "Know us as Kshatriya-s with ennobled bearing, and we are trekking the forest...but we wish to know about you, who are you that move about in Dandaka forest?

Viradha said to that truly valiant Rama, "Ah! I’ll tell you, oh king, be informed of me, oh Raghava... "I am the son of Java indeed... my mother is Shatahradaa, and all the demons on earth call me ‘Viradha...' On my undertaking ascesis I derived a boon from the beneficence of Brahma, by which I will neither be cut, nor slit, nor killed with a weapon in this world... Leave off this lady without any yearning for her, and you expeditiously flee-away as you have come, then your lives will not be snatched away...

Rama in reply said this to that ogre Viradha, whose eyes are fully bloodshot in anger, who is monstrous in his body, and evil in intent, "You knave, fie upon you... you are in quest of you own death for your meanly measures, and definitely you will get it in this confrontation. Stay! I will not let you to live...' Then, stringing his bow Rama indeed darted very sharp arrows, very quickly and well aiming the demon. Indeed seven arrows are let off with perfectly stringed bow, which have golden vanes, and very fast ones that equal the flights of Garuda, the Divine Eagle and the Air-god.

But, they the arrows that are akin to infernos and dressed with peacock feathers as their fins, on piercing the body of Viradha they fell onto the ground besmirched with blood. When that demon is thus struck, then he placed Vaidehi down from his arms, hauled up his spear, and very angrily rushed towards Rama and Lakshmana. And holding fast his spear that is similar to the Indra's Flagstaff he blaringly yelled a ghastly shriek, and thus he shone forth like the wide-mouthed Death, ready-to-gulp.

Then with an effulgent arrow-rain those two brothers incessantly rained on demon Viradha, who is similar to the terminator of lifetime. He that highly horrendous demon laughed at that arrow-shower, and standing for a while he yawned, and on his yawning and stretching his limbs in fatigue those arrows that earlier have gone speedily, spilled out from his body that speedily.

Demon Viradha held back his lives by the touch of boon, and raising up the spear he ran quickly at Rama and Lakshmana. The best wielder of weaponry Rama ripped that spear apart, which is akin to the Thunderbolt of Indra, and that which is like a blaze in the sky, with two arrows in the sky itself. Shattered by Rama’s blazing shafts that spear fallen on ground like the boulder mass of Mt. Meru when it is shattered by Indra’s Thunderbolt.

They quickly upraised their swords and like a pair of up-swinging black-cobras they rapidly crashed on him, and then battered him mightily.

He that demon thus beaten very firmly by Rama and Lakshmana, then on grabbing those unwavering ones and manly tigers with his arms, that furious demon wished to carry them away. Knowing the thinking of the demon for sure, Rama spoke to Lakshmana, "Let him easily carry us anywhere on his way.

"Let this demon carry us as he wishes, and Saumitri, by which way this night-walker goes, that alone will be our way...

Rama does not want to travel comfortably on the shoulders of the demon, but wants to examine what the demon wanted to do next, after carrying afar. The prince in Rama will not let the demon go rampant. Besides, the divine fury allows any sinister to tread his own way towards his own grave.

But he that night-walker arrogant as he is by his might has uplifted Rama and Lakshmana like babies by that might and courage alone, and placed them on his shoulders as one would place babies. That nightwalker Viradha on placing those two Raghava-s on his shoulders gone towards deeper forest yelling very luridly.

That demon entered into a baffling forest that is like a very dark cloud in its sheen, where a variety of massive trees are contained in, numerous flocks of vulturine birds are overspreading, and where wild jackals and other predaceous animals are sprawling around, along with Rama and Lakshmana.

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Surya (or) Ikshvaku (or) Kakustha dynasty

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Ikshvaku dynasty is of long lineage. This is Surya Vamsha, Solar dynasty of Kshatriya-s, of which Mahaa Kavi Kalidasa wondered as to how it can be narrated, for it is of a long lineage and he admires kva× s¨rya prabhavo vamþ× ... in his Raghu Vamsha Mahaa Kaavya, at 1-2. This dynasty may be known to understand why from Viradha to Ravana, wanted to die at the hands of Rama. The list of those kings is compiled in aananda raamayana and the same is being given hereunder...

S¨rya- Ikÿv˜ku - K˜kuthsa vaÕþanukramaõika  SrŸ mah˜ Viÿõu originated Brahma .From Brahma the lineage, one after the other, is MarŸci - Kaþyapa - S¨rya - Sr˜ddha Deva (Vaivasvata) -  Ikÿv˜ku - Vikukÿi (Saþ˜da) - Kakuthsa - Indrav˜hu - Anenasa - Viþvarandhi- Chandra - Yuvan˜þva - S˜bastha - B®hadaþva - Kuvalay˜þva - Dh®ýh˜þva - Haryaþva - Nikumbha - Barhaõ˜þva - K®t˜þva - Syenajit - Yuvan˜þva - M˜ndh˜ta - Purukuthsa - Trasaddsya 2 - Anaraõya – Haryaþva - Aruõa - Tribandhana - Satyavrat (OR) Triþanku - Hariþcandra (OR) Satya Hariþcandra - Rohita - Harita - Champa - Sudeva - Vijaya - Bharuka - V®ka - B˜huka - Sagara - Samañjasa - AÕþumanta - DilŸpa - BhagŸratha - Shruta - N˜bha - SindhudvŸpa - Ayut˜yu - Rutuparõa - Sud˜su (OR) Mitrasaha (OR) Kalmaÿ˜nghri - by him Aþmaka - M¨laka – ArŸkavaca - Daþaratha - Eiýavida - Viþvasaha - Kha÷v˜nga - DhŸrghab˜hu - This Deergha baahu is also known to be Dilipa, and from that - DilŸpa - Raghu - Aja - Daþaratha - and Dasharatha begot Vishnu again as R˜ma

#it vaLmIik ramay[e Aaid kaVye Ar{y ka{fe t&tIy> sgR

Thus, this is the 3rd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.

© 1998, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao [Revised - March 04]